Papermaking machine



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 4., 1965 al lllll' Ill July 7, 1970 R. H.FRlCK 3,5192% PAPERMAKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 4, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 226a. 28& 11 29;, I {7/ JE I .l'"

United States Patent 3,519,263 PAPERMAKING MACHINE Richard H. Frick,Neenah, Wis., assignor to Kimberly- Clark Corporation, Neenah, Wis., acorporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 477,099 Int. Cl.B6511 45/22; B411 1/30 U.S. Cl. 270-40 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE My invention relates to papermaking-machines and moreparticularly to apparatus and methods for longitudinally folding sheetmaterial webs and for interfolding the webs with each other.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improved foldingmethods and apparatus which may utilize a plurality of folding boardseach effective for longitudinally folding a web, with the boards eachbeing so constructed that a portion of the board may carry a Web fcld ofa previously folded web and dispose it between folds that are beingproduced by the board. More particularly, it is an object of theinvention to provide an improved folding board of this type which isvery simple in construction and is essentially all located in a singlelane. p The invention consists of the novel methods, arrangements anddevices to be hereinafter described and claimed for carrying out theabove stated objects, and such other objects, as will be apparent fromthe following description of a preferred form of the invention,illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan View of interfolding apparatus comprisinga plurality of interfolding boards and embodying the principles of theinvention;

FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and are sectional views on an enlarged scale and taken onlines 2-2, 3-3, 44 and 55, respectively, of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of one of the folding boards utilized in theapparatus;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the folding board illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a sheet metal blank from which the boardillustrated in the preceding two figures may be fabricated;

FIG. 9 is a View similar to FIG. 6 and showing a board of the same typebut of opposite hand;

FIG. 10 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of one of the foldingboards, together with mechanism for mounting the board;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of the board and the mounting. mechanismshown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an end view of the board and its mounting mechanism;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken on line 1313 of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of one of the folding boards in operationin longitudinally folding a webpassing over the board.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several views.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to 3,519,263 PatentedJuly 7, 1970 FIG. 1, the interfolding apparatus may be seen to comprisefolding assemblies 15, 16, 17 and 18. Paper webs 19, 20, 21 and 22 passover the assemblies 15, 16, 17 and 18, respectively, and arelongitudinally folded along their longitudinal center lines by theassemblies. Each of the assemblies comprises a folding board 23 or afolding board 23A, which is of the same type as the board 23 but is ofopposite hand. A board 23 is illustrated more in detail in FIGS. 6 and7, and a board 23A is illustrated more in detail in FIG. 9.

Each of the folding boards 23 is a piece of sheet metal having a mainplate portion 24 and an auxiliary plate portion 25 which has been foldedunderneath the plate portion 24 along a return bent edge 26 of thefolding board. The edge 26 constitutes a folding edge for a web to bepassed over the folding board and extends at right angles with respectto the longitudinal center line 27 of the folding board. The foldingboard, in addition, has folding edges 28 and 29 which extend at withrespect to each other and at 45 with respect to the longitudinal centerline 27 and which meet on the center line 27. The folding edge 28 is anedge of the main plate portion 24, and the folding edge 29 is an edge ofthe auxiliary plate portion 25. A notch 30 is provided in the plateportion 24 as illustrated, and the plate portion 24 is also preferablyprovided with a downwardly bent or rounded base edge 31.

Each folding board 23 may be made from a sheet metal piece or blankillustrated in FIG. 8. The blank has the edge 28 which extends at angleswith respect to the longitudinal center line 27 and with respect to theleft-hand edge of the blank and the edge 28 extends at an angle of 45with respect to the right-hand edge of the blank, as the blank isillustrated in FIG. 8; and the right half of the edge 28 is designatedas the edge 29'. The blank is bent along a fold line 26' extending atright angles to the center line 27 whereby the portion between the edge29' and the fold line 26' is doubled underneath the main portion of theblank so that it extends parallel with the main portion of the blank andprovides the auxiliary plate portion 25. The folding edge 26 is thusformed by the return bent portion of the blank along the fold line 26',and the edges 26 and 28 subtend an obtuse angle of 135. The edge 29 islocated beneath and is spaced from the plane of the main plate portion24 having the edges 26 and 28 thereon, and the edge 29 extends at anangle of 45 with respect to the edge 26 and terminates at the commonpoint between the edges 26 and 28 as the folding board is seen in planas in FIG. 6, looking in a direction normal to the plane of the mainplate portion 24.

Folding boards 23 are incorporated in the assemblies 16 and 18 and havetheir main plate portions 24 mounted parallel with each other andpreferably horizontal and at approximately the same level. Anyappropriate mounting mechanism may be used for each of the boards 23leaving the upper surface of the main plate portion 24 free for thepassage of a paper web thereover. The assembly 16 incorporating anappropriate mounting mechanism is illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11, 12 and13; and, referring to these figures, the mounting mechanism may be seento comprise a base plate 32 mounted on a table 33. A plate 34 is movablydisposed on the plate 32 by means of a pair of gibs 35 and 36 which arefixed to the plate 32 and have flanges extending inwardly into notches37 formed in the side edges of the plate 34. The main plate portion 24of the folding board 23 that is incorporated in the assembly lies flaton the plate 34 and has its auxiliary plate portion 25 extendingoutwardly beyond the plate 34. A pair of plates 38 and 39 are fixed onthe side edges of the plate 34, and the plates 38 and 39 are providedwith notches 38a and 39a receiving side edges of the folding board 23,

3 the notches being of sufiicient depth so that the folding board 23 mayslide longitudinally (in the direction of its center line 27) within thenotches and between the plate 34 and the overlying plates 38 and 39.

The folding board 23 is fixed in its supporting mechanism andparticularly with respect to the plates 38 and 39 by means of set screws40 and 41 which extend through the plates 38 and 39. The folding board23 may be adjustably moved longitudinally simply by releasing the setscrews 40 and 41 so that the board may slide in the notches 38a and 39aand on the plate 34, and the set screws 40 and 41 are retightened inorder to fix the board from this direction of movement.

Adjusting mechanism is provided for moving the board 23 transversely (atright angles to the longitudinal center line 27) which comprises a handknob 42 rotatably mounted but axially fixed within an upstanding lug 43that is fixed on the base plate 32. A screw 44 is fixed with respect tothe hand knob 42 and extends through and has screw threaded relationshipwith an upstanding lug 45 which is fixed with respect to the plate 39.In order to move the plate 34 so that it moves longitudinally with respect to the gibs 35 and 36 and so that it carries the folding board 23transversely, it is only necessary to turn the hand knob 42 in onedirection or the other. A stop nut 46 is preferably provided on thescrew 44 for fixing the board 23 in this direction of movement.

As previously mentioned, each of the assemblies 15 to 18 functions tofold the paper web passing over the assembly along the longitudinalcenter line of the web. The action of the folding board 23 of theassembly 16 in performing this function with respect to the web 20 isillustrated in FIGS. and 14. Each of the assemblies to 18 function inthe same manner with respect to their respective webs, and it will beassumed that the web 19 has been previously longitudinally folded toprovide longitudinal folds 19a and 19b on opposite sides of a centercrease 19c and that the web 19, as so folded, travels underneath themain plate portion 24 of the board 23 incorporated in the assembly 16,as is illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 14. The upper web fold 19a is trainedbetween the plate portions 24 and 25 of the board 23, and the lower webfold 19b is positioned below the plate portion 25 of the board 23. Theweb 19 is drawn by any suitable means (not shown) in the direction 48and in the path 49.

The web is drawn onto and travels on the folding board 23 of theassembly 16 in a direction parallel with the longitudinal center line 27of the board 23 and as indicated by the arrow 47. The center line of theweb 20 coincides with the center line 27 of the folding board, and theleft half of the web 20 (as seen in FIG. 10) makes a 180 turn around thefolding edge 28 of the folding board and travels as a longitudinal webfold 20a in the direction indicated by the arrow 48, in a path 49, andin contact with the undersurface of the main plate portion 24 of theboard 23. The path 49 extends at 90 with respect to the longitudinalcenter line 27, and the folding edge 28 extends at 45 with respect tothe center line 27. The right half of the web 20, as seen in FIG. 10,makes a 180 turn around the folding edge 26, so that it travels on theundersurface of the auxiliary plate portion of the board; and then thishalf of the web makes another 180 turn around the folding edge 29, sothat this half of the web then travels as the web fold 20b in the path49 in contact with the upper surface of the auxilliary plate portion 25.The folding edge 29 is also at 45 with respect to the center line 27 ofthe folding board, so that the web fold 20b underlies the web fold 20aand is in the path 49. It will be noted that the crease 200 between thefolds 20a and 20b is substantially in line with the folding edge 26 andis on the lefthand edge of the path 49 looking in the direction 48.

It will be observed that the crease 190 of the web 19 is on theright-hand of the path 49 looking in the direction 48,

and the top fold 19a of the web 19 is positioned between the plateportions 24 and 25 and is supported by the underlying auxiliary plateportion 25. Therefore, as the web 20 is folded longitudinally into thefolds 20a and 20b, these folds embrace the fold 19a, since the top fold20a is in contact with the lower surface of the main plate portion 24and the lower fold 20b is in contact with the upper surface of theauxiliary plate portion 25. These folds thus create an interfoldedrelationship between the webs 19 and 20, as is shown in FIG. 3. The web20 is drawn along with the web 19 in the path 49 by the same web drawingmeans (not shown) previously mentioned in connection with the web 19.

The assemblies 16 and 18 include identical folding boards 23. Theassemblies 15 and 17 include identical folding boards 23A, and theboards 23A are identical with the boards 23 except that they arereversed with respect to their longitudinal center lines (the centerline 27 for the board 23 and the center line 27a for the board 23A).Referring to FIG. 9, the board 23A therein illustrated includes foldingedges 28a, 26a and 29a corresponding to the folding edges 28, 26 and 29in the folding board 23 and includes also the underlying auxiliary plateportion 25a corresponding to the plate portion 25. The folding boards23A function in the same manner as the boards 23 except that the boards23A may be positioned oppositely with respect to the boards 23 and drawwebs from the other side of the apparatus. The web 19 in the assemly 15,for example, has its left edge, as seen in FIG. 1, passing over thefolding edge 28a and thus underlying and in contact with the main plateportion 24a of the board as the web passes from left to right, as seenin FIG. 1. The right-hand half of the web 19 passes over the foldingedges 26a and 29a of the board, and this half of the web thus travels inthe path 49 and in the direction 48 and is in contact with the uppersurface of the auxiliary plate portion 25a of the board 23A. Since theweb 19 is the first web utilized by the assembly, there is no previousweb that passes be- .tween the board portions 24a and 25a, and thus theboard 23A in the assembly 15 supplies only the web folds 19a and 19bhaving the crease between them.

' The assembly 17 including a folding board 23A folds the web 21similarly to the folding of the web 19 by the assembly 15 and producesweb folds 21a and 21b with a crease 210 on the right-hand edge of thepath 49 looking in the direction 48. The web fold 20a, which is theuppermost fold of the stack of webs in the path 49 approaching theassembly 17, is trained to pass between the plate portions 24a and 25aof the board 23 in the assembly 17; and thus the upper web fold 20a isdisposed between the folds 21a and 21b of the web 21, producing aninterfolded relationship between the webs shown in FIG. 4.

The assembly 18 functions the same as the assembly 16 and produces afolded web having an upper fold 22a and a lower fold 22b. The uppermostfold of the stack of webs traveling in the path 49 to the assembly 18-is the fold 21a, and this fold passes between the main plate portion 24and the auxiliary plate portion 25, so that the web fold 21a isinterfolded between the web folds 22a and 22b of the web 22, producingthe interfolded web configuration illustrated in FIG. 5.

It will be apparent that as many additional assemblies, similar to theassemblies 15 to 18, may be incorporated in the folding machine asdesired. The folding boards 23 are alternated with the folding boards23A so that the return bent folding edges 26 and 26a alternate on theopposite sides of the path 49, and webs are alternately taken fromopposite sides of the machine. In the case of each folding board, theuppermost fold of the previously interfolded web travels between eitherthe plate portions 24 and 25 or plate portions 24a and 25a, so that theweb that is longitudinally folded by the particular folding board hasits lower web folded and positioned underneath the web fold which waspreviously on the top of the interfolded sausage of webs as the websapproach the particular folding board.

Any suitable mechanism may be provided for drawing the webs in thedirection 48 along their path 49, and this mechanism may, for example,include a pair of driven rolls (not shown) between which the interfoldedsausage of web passes. In threading the machine, each of the webs to befolded by the apparatus is drawn from its supply roll (not shown) overthe folding board operative to fold the web and into the path 49,passing each upper fold of the sausage between the plate portions 24 and25 or 24a and 25a of the succeeding folding board. After the machine hasbeen so threaded with the webs, the rolls or other mechanism for pullingthe interfolded sausage of webs along the path 49 is driven to cause theboards 23 and 23A of the various folding assemblies to be operative tocontinuously produce the interfolded sausage of Webs. The interfoldedWeb sausage may then be cut into lengths so as to provide interfoldedtissue stacks which may be packed in cartons for subsequent facial orother usage. The notches 30 and 30a provided in the folding boards 23and 23A are only for the purpose of facilitating the initial threadingof the various webs through the folding apparatus.

For proper folding, it is desirable that each of the webs be foldedalong its longitudinal center line, and in order to adjust the foldingboards to attain this result, the hand wheels 42 for the board may beappropriately adjusted to align the center lines of the individualboards with the center lines of the webs passing over the boards. Eachof the boards 23 and 23A, in order to secure satisfactory interfolding,is longitudinally adjusted so that its return bent edge 26 or 26aextends slightly beyond the edges of the web folded by the previousboard in the apparatus, and longitudinal adjustment of the boards may bemade simply by releasing the set screws 40 and 41 and retightening themafter appropriate movement by hand of the boards in this direction.

It will be apparent, from the above description of the folding apparatusand its operation, that really only the folding edges 26, 28 and 29 ofthe boards 23 and folding edges 26a, 28a and 29a of the boards 23A areimportant in order to provide the desired interfolding. Therefore, theboards 23 and 23A may have their plate portions 24, 24a, 25 and 25aremoved or punched out, as desired, but leaving these edges; andinterfolding of the webs will remain the same.

I wish it to be understood that the invention is not to be limited tothe specific methods and devices shown and described, except onlyinsofar as the claims may be so limited, as it will be understood tothose skilled in the art that changes may be made without departing fromthe principles of the invention.

I also wish it to be understood that the above Abstract of theDisclosure shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claimsand that any reference characters appearing in the claims are to beconsidered as having no effect on the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A folding device for folding a web of flexible sheet materiallongitudinally and comprising first and second folding edges extendingfrom a common point and dis posed in a common plane with an obtuse anglebetween the edges and a third folding edge disposed underneath saidplane and extending from beneath said point in a direction between saidfirst and second folding edges as viewed in a direction normal to saidplane, whereby a first longitudinal fold of a web may be drawn over for180 and folded by said first folding edge to travel in a path that hasan edge co-incident with said second folding edge and a secondlongitudinal fold of said web may be drawn over said second folding edgeto be folded underneath said plane as viewed in said direction and maythen be folded for 180 over said third folding edge 6 so as to place thesecond fold in juxtaposition with respect to said first fold in saidpath.

2. A folding device for folding a web of flexible sheet materiallongitudinally and comprising first and second folding edges extendingfrom a common point and disposed in a common plane with an angle ofbetween the edges and a third folding edge disposed underneath saidplane and extending from beneath said point between said first andsecond folding edges and at an angle of 45 with respect to said secondfolding edge as viewed in a direction normal to said plane, whereby afirst longitudinal fold of a web may be drawn over for and folded bysaid first folding edge to travel in a path that has an edge co-incidentwith said second folding edge and a second longitudinal fold of said webmay be drawn over said second folding edge to be folded underneath saidplane as viewed in said direction and may then be folded for 180 oversaid third folding edge so as to place the second fold in juxtapositionwith respect to said first fold in said path.

3. A folding device for folding a web of flexible sheet materiallongitudinally and comprising first and second folding edges extendingfrom a common point and disposed in a common plane with an obtuse anglebetween the edges and a third folding edge disposed bewteen said firstand second folding edges as viewed in a direction normal to said planeand extending from a point that is co-incident with said first namedcommon point as so viewed and said third folding edge being disposed ina plane which is spaced from and parallel with said first named plane,whereby a first longitudinal fold of a web may be drawn over for 180 andfolded by said first folding edge to travel in a path that has an edgeco-incident with said second folding edge and a second longitudinal foldof said web may be drawn over said second folding edge to be foldedunderneath said plane as viewed in said direction and may then be foldedfor 180 over said third folding edge so as to place the second fold injuxtaposition with respect to said first fold in said path.

4. A folding device for folding a web of flexible sheet materiallongitudinally and comprising a piece of rigid sheet material havingfirst and second folding edges extending from a common point with anobtuse angle between the edges, said rigid piece having a return bentportion which extends back under the main portion of the piece so thatthe return bend forms said second folding edge, said return bent portionterminating in a third folding edge which is disposed between said firstand second folding edges viewed in a direction normal to the plane ofthe main portion of the piece of sheet material and which extends from apoint that is co-incident with the common point between said first andsecond folding edges, whereby a first longitudinal fold of a web may bedrawn over for 180 and folded by said first folding edge to travel in apath that has an edge coincident with said second folding edge and asecond longitudinal fold of said web may be drawn over said secondfolding edge to be folded underneath said plane as viewed in saiddirection and may then be folded for 180 over said third folding edge soas to place the second fold in juxtaposition with respect to said firstfold in said path.

5. A folding device for folding a web of flexible sheet materiallongitudinally and comprising a piece of rigid sheet materialterminating in a first folding edge that extends from a certain point ona longitudinal line of the rigid piece at an angle of 45 with respect tosaid line, said rigid piece having a doubled back portion which extendsback under the main portion of the piece along a second folding edgeextending from said point and disposed at 90 with respect to said line,said doubled back portion terminating in a third folding edge thatextends at 45 with respect to said line whereby a first longitudinalfold of a web may be drawn over for 180 and folded by said first foldingedge to travel in a certain path that extends at 90 with respect to saidline and a second 7 fold of said web may be drawn over and foldedsuccessively for 180 at each fold over said second and third foldingedges so as to place the latter fold in juxtaposition with respect tosaid first fold in said path.

6. Folding apparatus comprising a series of folding devices each ofwhich is adapted to receive and longitudinally fold a web of flexiblesheet material so that the folded webs travel in a certain path, each ofsaid devices comprising a piece of rigid sheet material terminating in afirst folding edge that extends from a certain point on a side edge ofsaid path at an angle of 45 with respect to said path edge, said rigidpiece having a doubled back portion which extends back under the mainportion of the piece along a second folding edge extending from saidpoint along said last named path edge, said doubled back portionterminating in a folding edge that extends at an angle of 45 withrespect to said last named path edge, whereby a first longitudinal foldof a web carried by said piece may be drawn over and through 180 by saidfirst folding edge to travel in said path and a second fold of said webmay be drawn over and folded successively for 180 at each fold over saidsecond and third folding edges so as to place the latter fold injuxtaposition with respect to said first fold in said path, said foldingdevices being alternately arranged to carry webs from opposite sides ofsaid path and each of the folding devices being arranged to carry thetop fold of a previously folded stack of webs produced by previousfolding devices in said series between its doubled back and mainportions so that the top fold is positioned between the web foldsproduced by the folding device.

7. In a method for continuously longitudinally folding a web of flexiblesheet material into first and second longitudinal folds, the steps whichcomprise, drawing the 'web of sheet material in unfolded fiat conditionand during such movement folding a lateral strip of the web constitutingits first fold under itself about a folding edge that extends slantwisewith respect to the direction of movement of the sheet material in itsunfolded condition, folding another lateral strip of the webconstituting its second fold under itself and under said first foldalong a folding edge that is disposed in the same plane as said firstfolding edge and has a common point with said first folding edge andextends at an obtuse angle with respect to said first folding edge, andthen folding said second fold through 180 along a folding edge disposedunderneath said plane and extending from beneath said point in adirection between -said first and second folding 8 edges viewed in adirection normal to said plane so that the second fold isjuxtapositioned beneath the first fold in said path.

8. In a method for continuously longitudinally folding a web of flexiblematerial into first and second folds which travel in a predeterminedpath, the steps which comprise, drawing a web of sheet material from oneside of said path and folding a lateral strip of the web constitutingits first fold under itself and into said path about a fold line thatextends at 45 to an edge of the path, folding another lateral strip ofthe web constituting its second fold under itself and under said firstfold along a fold line that extends along said last named path edge andthen folding said second fold upwardly and back upon itself along a foldline that extends at 45 with respect to said last named path edge and atwith respect to said first named fold line so that the second fold isdisposed beneath the first fold in said path.

9. In a method for interfolding webs of flexible sheet material,longitudinally folding each of said webs into first and second foldswhich travel in a predetermined path by drawing each web from one sideof said path and folding a lateral strip of the web constituting itsfirst fold under itself and into said path about a fold line thatextends from an edge of said path at 45 with respect to said path edge,folding another lateral strip of the web constituting its second foldunder itself and under said first fold along a fold line that extendslongitudinally of said path along said last named path edge and thenfolding said second fold upwardly and back upon itself along a fold linethat extends from said path edge at 45 with respect to said path edge sothat the second fold is disposed beneath the first fold in saidpath,said webs being introduced alternately from opposite sides of said pathinto said path and each being folded as above mentioned with theuppermost fold of the previously folded webs in said path being trainedto pass between said first and second folds of the web beingsubsequently introduced and folded into said path whereby to interfoldthe webs.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,122,361 2/1964 Moore 270-4OEUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner P. V. WILLIAMS, Assistant Examiner

